Thanksgiving

In 1621, the event most Americans consider to be The “First Thanksgiving” was three-day feast held by New England Pilgrims to give thanks to God for his blessings and their first harvest in the new world. There were 90 Native Americans and 53 Pilgrims in attendance at the celebration.  

Since 1863, Thanksgiving has been an American tradition and is a U.S. federal holiday, held the fourth Thursday in November each year. It was during the Civil War that President Abraham Lincoln first proclaimed a national day of "Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.” Our national observance of Thanksgiving is unique as it is exclusively American and distinctly Christian – a holiday for celebrating faith, family, and freedom. 

I am personally thankful for God, who sustains us with the very breath of life, as well as all the good things we enjoy today. However, I believe many of us have forgotten in great measure the faith component of the Thanksgiving holiday. Instead of thanking God of the Bible for His providence, care, and blessings, we have turned away from Him and gone our own way. Many people believe they have made their greatness on their own, forgetting Psalm 33:12, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord…” and Hosea 13:9, “It is to your destruction that you have forgotten Me…” as God chided Israel after turning from Him. 

As a nation, I feel we have left God and His ways found in the Bible, that the family and freedom components of what should be a day of Thanks to God are eroding. There is little doubt that the ideal of family has fallen on hard times. Many couples who pledged love “’til death do us part” on the altar now face devastation with the break-up of their marriages and the task of trying to piece their lives back together. This, in turn, can deprive children of the nurturing love and guidance of their parents. Too often, they are left to raise themselves on a steady diet of TV and video games, and in a pop culture that is selfish and ultimately self- destructive.

Our freedoms are also quickly disappearing as a result of becoming enslaved to vice, self, and the handouts of a government that promises care for us from cradle to grave.  But with that handout comes more control over our lives, from what we want to believe and say to what we eat, and now, even who will make our health care decisions; right up to our deathbed (if we get a bed).

I am not as concerned for myself as I am for my children and my children’s children. We need to get back to a uniform code of right and wrong. In America, that standard used to come from our Creator and His Word, the Bible. More than a code, we need to get back to God Himself. He created us to do the right thing. He created us for a relationship with Him.  He loves us immensely, and it hurts Him for us to turn away from Him. I think it hurts Him even more that we are hurting ourselves by turning away from Him. That is what it means when the Bible says he is a “jealous God.” He is jealous that we be protected and loved. No one loves us like He does. No one ever will love us like He does. We all should strive to love Him back. It would be good for us and for our nation, and I believe Thanksgiving is the perfect time to start that journey.